Shell in China
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Terra-cotta Warriors
(Click on the link above to find more information and pictures of the warriors.)
This last weekend I think I saw more laowai (foreigners) than I have since we left San Francisco in June. There were so many Westerners there! There were also a whole lot of people selling souveniers and other randon stuff. As we were leaving the warriors, a woman walked up to us and said, "Hello beef noodle!" I think she was trying to get us to come eat beef noodles at her restaurant, but only succeeded in calling us beef noodles! Oh well...
Besides seeing the warriors, we also visited the Muslim area of town. There was a lot of fun shopping and bargaining to be done there. I really enjoyed just walking around and looking at all the sights. This part of town is great at night. There are lots of cool lights and interesting things to see/do. We attended a short shadow-puppet show. Shadow puppets are an ancient art here and amazing to see. The show itself was just average, but the puppets themselves are really intricately crafted and quite impressive. There was also a guy in the courtyard who had a gigantic telescope that we used to look at the moon! It seemed so close as we looked. I could see the craters and an amazing amount of detail on it. Very cool to come to China to see the moon! The guy showed us how to take pictures of it through the lens.
Since Xi'An is a very tourist-y place, there is a lot of Chinglish to be found. Niffy ordered the spaghetti with jam and cheese for dinner one night. That same menu had puberty dove on it. No one was brave enough to get that one!
We stayed at a hostel. That was my first-ever hostel experience and overall it was okay. It is not the same as a hotel, but it worked out alright. It definately fit my PC budget more than a hotel would have! Since there were five of us (John and Erin, Niffy and Thad and me) we were able to get a room for just us, which made it a little more comfortable. I am not sure I would have liked bunking with people I didn't know. There was a community bathroom, but it was clean and had hot water for showers.
(This cute kitty lived at the hostel and like to try to come into our room every chance he got. He also was the menu protector at the bar. He is one of the most normal cats I've seen in China. He looked healthy and was not on a string!)
We were only able to take weekend leave, so we left site late on Friday and had to return home on Sunday night. It made for a really short trip, but one that we enjoyed not only for the sites to see, but also the chance to hang out with other PCVs. Coming home on Sunday, we were not able to get a train, as the only one with seats available didn't leave Xi'An until 6:00 PM, which would have meant we couldn't have gotten back to Chengxian that night, so instead we took the bus. It was a nine hour bus ride, but at least it was a bigger bus and Thad and I had a bit of leg room! (That is always an issue on bus rides here!)
So, we are here for the next two weeks, but I think our next travel adventure will be the weekend right after Thanksgiving. The plan is to take weekend leave and go to Lanzhou to celebrate the holiday with the PCVs there. There is a football game in the works, as well as a dinner and a whole lot of hanging out with everyone.
(PS- Notice the terra-cotta colored font! I am sticking with the theme thank you very much!!)
3 Comments:
Mom- The site was awesome. I really think you and Dad will like it when you come to China next summer. I can't wait to see you guys.
Blog of a Peace Corps China volunteer serving as a TEFL teacher in Cheng Xian, Gansu, China.
About Me
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- Name: Michelle Ross
- Location: Chengxian, Gansu, CN
In America, I teach 8th grade English and reading and really enjoy spending time with middle school students. Some people think I am crazy for it, but Marsing has a great group of kids and I love being a part of their lives as they grow up! Right now I live in China and teach English and teaching methods to students who want to be teachers. I am here through Peace Corps, which I think is a fabulous experience and something that more people should look into doing! The application process can be a bit of a pain, but it is well worth the time and effort. Check out Peace Corps and give something back to the world that has given you so much!! Teaching runs in the family, as just about everyone is involved in education in one way or another. My dad is retired, but he was a teacher, counselor and principal for 30+ years, my mom is an elementary counselor, my sister and husband are both teachers and my brother will finish his teaching degree this next spring! "Those who can, do; those who can do magic, teach!"
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